Recovery Begins
by DepthsofDreams
Summary: Sasuke gave his biggest fan a shot and ended up her personal slave, but no one knew about it until now. Sasuke managed to escape the pink haired devil, but her havoc has already been wreaked. Sasuke has to let someone else in to that he might recover from years of torture, and Naruto is just the right guy for getting in. Abuse, hurt/comfort, rated M for language and themes.
1. The First Escape

There was another crash and Sasuke barely missed the kunai that sailed toward his head and landed in the vase that Sakura was always so proud of. Now the pink haired demon was seething and screaming about that,too.

About a year and a half ago, Sakura had been begging Sasuke to give her a chance, and he just figured it would get her to shut up. He accepted her request and they actually had a lot of fun together at first, but when an assignment drew Sakura away, something happened that made her snap. She locked Sasuke in the house when she left and put traps on it so he couldn't leave, scared he would go to someone else. She screamed at him and never left him unattended when she was around, and physically abused him when something she didn't like happened. Which brings us to now.

Sakura was home and Sasuke had gone to buy groceries, because they needed them, and Sakura was supposed to be gone for another day and a half. For the past hour she had been throwing things and screaming and beating on Sasuke in a cycle, leaving Sasuke with a bloody nose, bruised ribs - one of which he was sure was broken - and a broken hand. The pink haired monster wailed and thrashed around, throwing things around as Sasuke moved to hide on the other side of the couch. The man tried to catch his breath as the woman stormed about and eventually got back to attacking him, dragging him out of his hiding place and kicking him hard, eliciting a scream of misery from him as well as fat tears of pain. She looked down at his face and saw herself in those tears, remorse flashed in her eyes and she calmed.

"Sasuke! I'm so sorry!" she said and fell to her knees, using jutsu to heal his injuries as he lay there, those fat tears still leaking from his face. This was the third time that she'd ever made him cry.

Sasuke hid his fear well. He smiled at her and told her it was all right. She smiled in relief and then made to get up, telling him that she was going to make dinner for him. The pink haired monster scampered to the kitchen as the Uchiha sat on the couch. He didn't want to take this any more. It wasn't fair to him at all that he was so defenseless around the woman. Shaking like a leaf, the male stood up and walked silently to the door, slipping into his sandals he glanced back once before he opened the door and darted through it, setting off one trap that left a soft _thunk_ in his wake.

By the time Sakura could respond to the barely heard noise the man that she was obsessed with was gone.


	2. She'll Get Him Back

Sasuke raced over the rooftops, loving the wind as it tousled his hair. The man slowed to a stop on the outer gate of the Uchiha compound and began to walk along its edge, moving closer and closer to his house. This place always reminded him of a grave yard, the homes here the holes that all happy Uchiha memories were buried within. This thought brought new tears to the males face and he let them fall down his cheeks as he leapt from the wall to stand in front of his large home. The thing hadn't changed since he'd left it. It made him smile a familiar smile that only this house would know to his face.

Sasuke hopped up the stairs and located his key under the false board at the foot of the door and unlocked the massive wood doors. He pushed on them as he turned the handles and welcomed himself into the musty gloom that made up the foyer. He walked in, entranced by the warmth that still felt like it lingered there. He rubbed the dust off the end table and placed his keys there, pulling the cloth off of the hanging mirror on the wall. He looked at himself in it for a few moments before he strolled farther into his home, uncovering furniture and spending the whole night cleaning up the dust and other things that had managed to amble into the corners due to his absence.

Sasuke was amazed that Sakura didn't come to his feet, begging for another chance, or to take him back by force. He fell asleep on his futon, sleeping easily and comfortably for the first time in a long time.

The sun slept later then an Uchiha did, but Sasuke was tired from cleaning all night that he had to wake up to a vague thumping downstairs. It sounded over and over again, five thumps every few seconds, and then a voice followed the noises.

"Sasuke! I know you're here, Sakura was in tears about you leaving!"

It was a female voice, one that Sasuke didn't care to place. But the mention of his former abuser and lover made him sit up, a hand running though his hair, which wasn't so much like a ducks rear end any more, but a little flatter, sinking under it's own weight as Sakura wanted to see what it would look like long. Sasuke shook her image from his mind sharply and made to get up, the thumping downstairs resuming.  
He stood for only a few moments, before he missed the snuggling comfort of his futon and plopped back down to curl up on it. He pulled the blanket back up over his head and slipped back into his own world.

''''''  
Ino stood at the door of the large Uchiha mansion and looked up toward the sky. He was here, and he was hiding. Ino didn't know why, though, Sakura had said they were so perfect for each other. She said that he had given her everything she ever wanted, and that he was so close to saying he loved her, so why would he run away?

Ino lifted her hands to bang on the door again, but stopped herself. She'd been at it for almost an hour, if he did want to answer, then he'd have done it. The platinum blonde turned to lean her back on the semi-dented door that she'd been abusing for a while. She waited there for a little while before she frustrated herself with all the questions that she was coming up with every time she hypothesized an answer to the biggest question - Why the hell Sasuke was hiding in his mansion and leaving Sakura crying in their apartment?

The blonde pushed off of the door and kicked off the porch, taking to the trees to make her way back to town, having to catch up with Sakura then meet Chouji for lunch.

''''''  
Sakura sat on the couch, fuming. She had let her guard down and let him get away, and now that he wasn't here, right here under her thumb, Kami knows what was going on! Her Sasuke was doing something that she wasn't there to supervise.

Sakura growled lowly, cautious to not scream when the neighbors were home, or people were in the street. No need to raise alarm. The knob to the front door turned and she resumed her puffy, broken self. She cowered on the couch as Ino walked in, tossing her hair.

"He didn't answer."

Sakura looked up at her with sorrow all over her face. She let herself cry, though they were tears of anger more then the desperation that was masking her internal thoughts. Inner-Sakura was beating up an Inner-Sasuke she had just created. Sakura sniffed and then moved to sit up, her knees to her chest.

"Didn't answer? He's ignoring his visitors?" She let her eyes bug out in her confusion, as if it were the worst thing the world, but it was really better that way - she could sneak in and lock him in a room, no one would worry too much because it seemed that he didn't want to be bothered anyway.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Ino had sat down and patted her shoulder a little. She let the woman stare into space in what she thought was pure hopelessness. She glanced at the clock as it ran fourteen times and she stood up.

"I have to go, but you come to my house if you need to, I'll see you later," Ino said and then she was out the door.

Sakura got up and walked to the bathroom to clean up, then her room to dress, making plans to break into the Uchiha mansion after sun set.


	3. She Got Him

Sasuke got up as the sun was going down. He hadn't slept all day for a long time, Sakura needing things done during the day while she was out. He got up slowly and then made his way to the bathroom. He cleaned himself and then stood at the mirror, looking at all the marks that looked like a bunch of ghosts on his skin. The scars from the abuse that you couldn't see unless you looked really hard. Or if you just knew they were there.

The male stared hard at himself and them turned sharply, he walked to his room, naked, and dressed in clothing that he'd left out to air over night... and day.

He ran a hand through his hair and wandered down the stairs toward the foyer, planning to go find something to eat, seeing as how there was nothing in the house, because he hadn't lived there in over a year. When he opened the door, the cool air felt good on his skin. It gave him his stoic confidence back. He shoved his hands into his pockets after he locked up the house and then he walked himself down along the streets of the large compound, letting memories flash around him as he walked on.

At the gate he took another key from a hiding place and used it to open the lock and pulled the gates wide opened, leaving them that way as he began to run toward town, in a mental heaven as he flew down the road, his hands tight to his back, body arched forward for little wind resistance.

Sasuke skidded to a stop when he got to the long main street with all the restaurants and shops that were open and shining with lots of lights. He stuck his hands in his pockets and flipped his hair out of his face a little, his bangs being longer, and falling over his eyes. He strode lazily down the way, looking around until he head Naruto begin to call his name. He located the male and saw him and the she-devil, Kakashi was there, too. "Sasuke! Hey, didn't expect to see you, Sakura said you were sick!" he said in a too-loud way, excited to see both his old team mates.

It took Sasuke a few minutes to calm his heart, but his cool mask stayed intact. He groused at Naruto for being too loud and then sat down on the corner most stool, on Kakashi's other side. He ordered a round of Ramen for all of them, feeling great for being out of Her clutches. But it was obvious that the Pink Demon hadn't told Naruto that he'd skipped out on her, because Naruto was talking to Sakura about their future wedding and that he should be the god father for their kids. Sakura acted like this wasn't the first time that he had said anything to her about this.

They ate and laughed and joked and such. And when it was time to leave, Kakashi was the first, saying that Iruka wanted to talk about something. And then Sakura made to get up, saying an over joyed good bye to Naruto before she paid for her ramen and turned to Sasuke, "Well, we're leaving, lets go!" Her eyes flashed and Sasuke looked at her with a very bored expression, he was out from under her, he didn't have to go back.

"I left yesterday, I'm not leaving with you," He said in a numb tone.

Naruto watched them with confusion written all over his face before he saw Sakura start to tear up. "Sasuke! Why do you have to be so mean to me?! All I've ever done is love you!" she wailed.

Sasuke looked at her and then turned to pay for his and Naruto's food, muttering a quick, "Keep the change," before he got up and turned to walk off in the other direction, not wanting to see the Pink Demon's crocodile tears. But he turned to walk down the bar street and was caught by Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru and Hinata. The men were smashed, and the women were being good girlfriends and walking them home. Upon sight, Ino dropped Chouji and pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke,

"You bastard, how dare you show your face after you broke Sakura's heart!"

Ino raced toward him, and Sasuke made to jump out of the way when Sakura appeared behind him and pulled him to her. "It's okay, Ino, we're going home now to have a talk," Sakura chirped and Ino calmed instantly. She waved them off before she went to pick Chouji back up, who was too drunk to understand what just happened.

Sakura held his wrist in a vice as she transported them to her bedroom. Anger rolled off of her and Sasuke began to tremble at the sight of her bed room. The She-devil pushed him onto her bed and it squeaked at the weight placed on it. "You're not allowed to leave this house! I've told you and told you, but you did anyway!" She screeched and was on him in a matter of seconds, fists pounding into his body and leaving it bruised and broken. Sakura did this even after he was screaming in pain and crying.

She beat him on the bed until she tired of it and pushed him to the floor and began to kick him repeatedly in his chest and stomach. His ribs cracked and he threw up ramen and blood all over the wood of the floor. When she was finally done with him she walked away, returning with a bucket or water and a mop.

"Clean it up," she ordered.

Sasuke was too weak to deny her. He knelt on the floor, unable to bring himself any higher, and cleaned up the mess she had prompted him to make. He got it all up while she watched him from her place on her bed. When he was done he looked up to her to tell him what to do now, his body screaming to his mind that it wanted to just die and leave all of this in the past. But he just wasn't strong enough for that.

Sakura beckoned him to her and when he was at the foot of her bed she pulled him up and held his broken body to her. She told him how he shouldn't run from her, because this is what happens when you leave the one that love you most. That love hurt. Sasuke let her talk, falling asleep as she held him there, drained and battered. Sakura let him sleep, but she placed him on the mat that she had been forcing him to sleep on recently. She stayed up, watching him sleep all night.


	4. Now They Know

Hello Everyone! In my mass uploading I seem to have neglected the **disclaimer**. Sorry 'bout that!

**I do not own any of the Naruto characters, none of them at all. **

And, ah, hello! I'm the author, Dod and this was a story that I wrote when I was out of internet, and I just now got the inspiration to upload it and write more on it. So, I hope you have enjoyed the previous chapters and that you enjoy this new one~! I will also (Hopefully) be working on the other two stories that I have going.

That's everything on my end, enjoy.

Oh, p.s., I did seem to forget that his hand had been mentioned to be broken in the first chapter, but we'll say that it was just badly sprained and numb and felt much better after a few hours... because who cleans with a broken hand? Sorry about that everyone...

* * *

When he woke, Sasuke felt like he had died. He hurt all over and couldn't move his left foot. The male opened his eyes slowly and saw Sakura's room. He groaned softly and rolled over on to the floor, getting himself up onto one foot he hopped to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

What he was was a mess. His nose was broken again, blood smeared his lips and chin and he had matching black eyes, as well as other bruises all over his face and down his neck. He barely remembered last night. Sasuke worked on getting cleaned up, the cool water of the shower brought down the swelling all over his body, making it easier to assess the damage.

To put it simply, she beat the fuck out of him.

Sasuke found another set of clothing and pulled it on, the long black pants were soft on his injured lower half and the shirt was the same way. He combed his hair and looked this way and that, not seeing Sakura any where. Sasuke hobbled to the kitchen and picked up the bottle of pain killers on the window sill. He took three and turned his head as he heard a knock at the door. Then Ino's voice came from the other side of it,

"Hey! You two there? I wanted to see if you were doing okay."

Sasuke called for her to come in, knowing that the traps going off would signal to her that something was wrong. Ino opened the door and squealed in surprise as she darted away to as to keep from being hit with a kunai and lots of senbon. "What the hell is going on?!" She exclaimed.

"Sakura puts traps on the windows and door so I can't leave," Sasuke said, his battered appearance making Ino gasp. She rushed to his side and caught him as he began to fall, his good ankle giving out on him. She sat him on the couch and asked him how long this had been going on for and when he told her that it was always like this Ino hung her head.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke, I should have seen it. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said and almost began to cry.

Sasuke smiled weakly at her and then asked her to take him to the hospital. Ino nodded and stood up, pulling him up and then pulling his arm around her shoulders so they could walk out.

They ran into Sakura at the bottom of the stairs. The pink haired woman didn't know how to cover this one up, and Ino wasn't going to let her. The blonde said nothing to the Pink Demon as she walked by, holding Sasuke close to her side. Sakura turned to watch them leave, saying loudly, "Ino! How could you hurt him like that?!" Sakura rushed to them and attempted to take Sasuke from Ino, claiming that the woman was trying to steal him by beating him up so he couldn't run away.

Chouji was waiting a little ways away, buying snacks from a small stand. He turned around to see what Sakura was shouting about and almost dropped the dango that he held when he saw the state Sasuke was in. He placed the food back on the counter and said he'd been back for it before he charged over to the trio and pulled Sakura away from Sasuke. Ino held him tighter to her side and it had seemed Sasuke had fainted from the commotion.

Sakura screamed and thrashed as Chouji pulled her away. She yelled at them for trying to take her Sasuke from her. The woman at the dango stand watched them with fear in her eyes, she had always thought that Sakura was a sweet heart. Ino began to carry Sasuke the best she could down the street as Chouji got Sakura up the stairs to the apartment and pushed her inside, closing the door and setting a strong trap. If she was to leave through there, then she was sure to be severely maimed. Chouji then raced to catch up to Ino, taking Sasuke over his shoulder and speeding off toward the hospital in a blur. Ino went to tell Tsunade what was going on.


	5. The Hospital

Sasuke felt someone stroking his hair. He turned into it and then the sensation was gone. He opened his eyes in an attempt to find the soothing sensation again. What he saw was Iruka on the bed, sitting next to him with a small smile on his face. He could hear a few men mumbling behind the teacher, and Hinata was at the foot of his bed.

"Hey you, how do you feel?" Asked the teacher.

Sasuke grunted and made to sit up, his heart sped up and he felt a rise of panic in his throat. For a moment he thought they were all in Sakura's house but when he saw the white walls and bareness of the room he calmed. Sasuke looked over at the group in the doorway, Shikamaru, a doctor, Naruto and Kakashi. Shikamaru was the first to notice his gaze and he tapped the doctor, who turned to look at him.

"Oh! Mister Uchiha! It's good to see you awake!"

Sasuke glowered at him and then looked to everyone else. They looked back and Iruka began to pat his back lightly. Hinata pulled a hankerchief from her pocket and moved to dab at his eyes. Sasuke hadn't even known he was crying. Hinata let him have the neatly hemmed bit of cloth to wipe his eyes with as she looked over to Shikamaru who looked at Kakashi and Naruto. The male ninja nodded and disappeared from the room.

The doctor left the room and in a moment Shizune walked in and sat in the chair next to Sasuke, "Hey, I think you should stay with someone for a while, Sakura tried a few times to come see you here, and tried breaking in the window."

Sasuke didn't want to stay with anyone, but he knew this also came from Tsunade, whom he couldn't ignore. When Shizune asked if there was anyone that he wanted to go stay with in particular, the raven was at a loss. Hinata offered him a place to stay, but he wasn't close enough to them, so he politely refused, Iruka said that his place had a spare room, but Sasuke didn't want to stay with his old teacher if he didn't have to, so he told him he would have to think about it.

The four of them sat there and thought for a moment before Shizune grinned, "You're going to stay with Naruto. And if you say no, I'll get Tsunade to make you." And with that, Sasuke was stuck bunking at Naruto's.

''''''  
Naruto knocked on the door of Sakura's apartment. And when she didn't answer he kicked the piece of wood out of his way. Hinata appeared by Shikamaru just as he was walking in and told him that Sasuke was going to stay with Naruto, then she returned to stay with Sasuke.

Shikamaru told Naruto and the three of them each grabbed a garbage bag from the kitchen to gather his things in.

There was still no sight of Sakura.

The nin worked quickly and quietly, getting anything that was Uchiha related out of the apartment. Kakashi checked the bathroom and saw the old, bloody clothes that Sasuke had taken off four days ago and glared at them. He took them and put them in the trash. Naruto scoured the bed room and Shikamaru cleared the rest of the apartment. They walked out, leaving the door on the living room floor.

Sakura met them at the bottom of the stairs, she was drunk and stumbling around. She had been at a bar down the street, and when she saw them she rushed to them, begging to know what was going on with Sasuke, and when he would be coming home. Naruto pushed her away from him, disgusted with her, "He's going to go home soon, but he's never coming here again."

Sakura sat on the ground, crying as she watched them walk away.


	6. Naruto's Place

As usual - **disclaimer: Don't own any Naruto charaters/or the Naruto universe.**

* * *

The male nin walked back into the hospital room and Naruto settled a set of clothing on the bed for Sasuke, then all of them walked out to let him change. The Raven changed quickly, maneuvering his body so he could dress while sitting on the bed, his left ankle casted. He grabbed his crutches when he was finished and pulled on one sandal so he could move to the door. Naruto opened the door for him, a smile on his face. The others had gone, leaving the two on their own.

Naruto looked at Sasuke sadly and then looked down, saying, "She's not gonna hurt you again. Everyone is gonna make sure she doesn't." Sasuke watched him and nodded. His face a stoic mask, but his heart was fluttering due to how much it seemed that every one cared about him.

"C'mon, Dobe, we should go before it gets too late."

Naruto grinned and nodded, walking slowly with Sasuke down to the lobby to check out, and then toward the small apartment that was occupied by the Fox.

Sasuke was out of breath and tired by the time they got to the apartment. He wanted nothing more then a shower and then to go to sleep. Naruto was happy to oblige. After the bath, Naruto was sitting on the front room, which was kind of like a dining room with a couch in it, because the apartment was that small. He had a pillow sitting on the couch, with a blanket and two bowls of ramen steaming on the table.

Wow, the Dobe was really trying his hardest to take care of Sasuke.

Naruto looked up from the manga he was reading when he heard Sasuke pull out a chair and sit at the table. The blond jumped up off the couch so that he could join him.

"You're gonna sleep in my room, I picked it up while you were in the bath so you wouldn't trip over anything," he said as he picked up his chopsticks. Sasuke looked at him across the table and was surprised by the words.

"Thanks," the Raven said, before he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Naruto glanced up at the Raven as he ate every now and then. The male ate with controlled wildness. His movements were manner-full and careful, but quick and agitated, as if he had to eat fast, but cleanly, or he might not get his food anymore. The blonde fox frowned inwardly at this and kept eating, averting his eyes only seconds before Sasuke glanced at him in turn. The battered male finished his food as fast at Naruto - which showed you just how fast he was eating. Sasuke drank all the broth from the bowl and licked his lips. Naruto smiled and offered to make him another bowl, grinning as Sasuke nodded shyly. Naruto got up and made Sasuke two more bowls before the man told him that he was full.

They were sitting on the couch now, Naruto yelling and arguing about this and that as Sasuke spoke in a calm tone. They communicated like they did as kids, and it always made them feel better knowing that there was something that the each of them could rely on - bantering with the other.

"But that jutsu got me everywhere!" Screamed the blonde.

"It's vulgar and crude. You were only able to use it on the perverts of our village - it's a waste of chakra," Sasuke countered, their topic at the moment was the Sexy no Jutsu that Naruto used to use to get on with things when they had just graduated from the Academy.

They argued different points on the matter until Naruto threw himself off the couch and stood right in front of Sasuke.

"Maybe you'll like it better if you see it in action!" called the Fox.

He moved his hands into the proper positions and called out the jutsu. Smoke filled the room and Sasuke looked up at him with a bored mannerism. The inky-haired man watched all the smoke clear and looked Naruto up and down, still bored.

Females did not attract Sasuke, not anymore, at least.

Naruto transformed back and began raving again. Sasuke only heard some of it, though, as he was now preoccupied with the spooky memories of how Sakura stripped them both naked and teased his body until it was spent. Rare as these encounters were, it was something that Sakura prized - that she was able to make his body happy. She didn't care that he felt used and disgusting when she was done with him. Sasuke shuddered hard and physically shook the images from his mind.

Naruto noticed this and frowned. "What's the matter, Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up at him and tears welled in his eyes. Naruto sat back on the couch and wrapped the man in his arms. It was a sort of thing that one might never see between these two, because it seemed that they hated each other so, but that wasn't true. Naruto held the Raven tightly to his chest as he cried. The Uchiha proceeded to tell him all about the horrific things that Sakura had done to him all the time that he was with her, the grip on his shaking form never going lax as he spoke. Naruto knew that if he ever caught up with Sakura again she was going to be dead.

Naruto stroked the man's hair and gritted his teeth. The air in the room grew thick and heated in the mix of tears and raging fury. As Sasuke calmed down he turned his head to look up at the other. He smiled at him weakly, and Naruto forced a smile of his own, then Sasuke snuggled into the tan chest that was covered only by a black t-shirt, falling asleep in seconds from his absolute exhaustion. Naruto let him sleep there as he reclined on the couch, adjusting them so Sasuke was cuddled to his chest laying on top of the blonde. Naruto fell asleep soon after, a manga in his hand dangling off the couch, the other hand resting on the Ravens shoulders.


	7. You Reek

Iruka and Kakashi came to check on the duo the next morning. Iruka knocked on the door and then stepped back, bracing himself for Naruto's crashing gait, and the shrieked demands to get Sasuke out of his home. After a minute of nothing the Teacher frowned. He grabbed the handle and twisted, opening the door with a soft creak.

The set of sensei looked at the sleeping males on the couch and grinned. Iruka looked at his taller companion, who waved his arm in a sweeping bow that signaled to the Dolphin to walk over to the young men. Iruka did so and gently woke Naruto. The teachers watched him lift the manga holding hand to rub his eyes as the other curled into Sasuke's shirt. Naruto froze and slowly looked down at the warm mass on his chest and then up at his teachers quickly. His eyes went wide and he blushed furiously.

"I- It's not what it looks like!" escaped him as a rapid squeak.

He would have hollered the words and jumped off the couch had he not remembered the way that the Uchiha had been crying the night before. The blonde patted the inky black mass on his shoulder and smiled sadly at it.

"What did you do, Naruto, he looks like he was crying," accused Iruka.

Naruto squinted a glare at him and sighed. "I don't know, but one moment we were arguing, the next he was crying... he told me everything that Sakura did to him..." Naruto muttered.

Even the soft whispered words were starting to wake the Uchiha. He shifted around, looking for a warm place to lie, away from the noise, making him nuzzle deeper into the tan shoulder of the Uzumaki.

Kakashi chuckled and patted each of them on the head. He made mention of needing to report to Tsunade for a mission before he slipped out the door, closing it behind him. This left Naruto and Iruka in the living room, aside from the snoozing male that was wiggling about - and making Naruto very uncomfortable - to get himself comfortable.

The blonde sighed and nudged his shoulder, "Sasuke, it's time to wake up..." Sasuke whined in a way that made puppies go "Awe!" and pressed his nose into Naruto's neck. After more, gentle, prodding, the male sat up and frowned at them. His hands went to his eyes and he rubbed the sleep from them slowly.

"Iruka-sensei...?" Sasuke questioned as he worked his mind out of its sleepy kink. Iruka wiggled his fingers in a hello and ruffled the boy's hair. "Sleep well?" he asked and Sasuke nodded. Naruto chuckled and scooted up to sit on his rump, letting the oblivious man have his space. "You sleep like a pointy rock, Sasuke, I'm going to have bruises where you kept jabbing me with your elbows... and digging your chin in..." Sasuke recalled that night almost immediately and he glowered daggers at the blonde, his face igniting as bright as Naruto's had been not five minutes ago.

Iruka laughed at the way that Sasuke was acting and gave him a warm smile. "It's all right, Sasuke, your secret is safe with me," he assured and then looked to the blonde, "I suppose that you two have things that you need to get done? I just came to make sure that you two hadn't killed each other, now I have to get back home and feed the dogs before they eat another chair..." The teacher turned his head as he thought about the last time the hounds weren't fed on time.

Naruto smiled and chuckled evilly, "Awe! Why not stay for breakfast, Iruka-sensei!" he teased while getting up, aiming to walk the man out as Sasuke sat on the couch, brooding as he ignored the two of them. Iruka rolled his eyes and shoved his tongue from his mouth in reply to his adopted sons antics.

As they walked to the door Naruto kept his voice low, " 'Did the Sexy Jutsu last night and he freaked out - closed off and started crying. I held him until he fell asleep." Iruka nodded at this information. "I don't want to know why you did that vulgar jutsu, but at least it helped us figure out what she was doing to him…" Iruka glanced at Sasuke, offering a brief smile as their eyes met. The teacher wished them a good day and then stepped out of the apartment.

As soon as Naruto faced Sasuke again, a pillow thumped against his nose. The blonde grabbed the pillow and held it easily as he walked back to the other male. Sasuke glared at him as coldly as he could.

"Why not put me in bed?" he barked, his blush returning full force, "I'm sure it would have been much more comfortable for you."

There was an Inner-Sasuke, on the other hand, wriggling in glee for the fact that the blonde held him all night. Naruto chuckled and something flashed in his eyes; a sort of painful wisdom that hurt his heart.

The blonde made a chore of replacing the throw pillow on the couch before he sat down and pulled the Uchiha to his chest in a calming embrace while he muttered, "Just because the tears stop doesn't mean that I need to stop comforting them."

Sasuke sat there, shocked by the words for a few minutes before he relaxed his body against Naruto's and shuddered a little, the warmth radiating off of the man something that made him happier than he had ever known. Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's shoulder and dared to nuzzle against it before a smell caught his nose. The Raven jerked back and wrinkled up his face.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a scared expression before Sasuke said, coolly, "Dobe, you reek." Naruto rolled his eyes as he laughed lightly, moving slowly to go take a shower.

* * *

Seemed like a perfect place to end XD Well, I need to get to bed, I will upload more tomorrow, G'night!


	8. Naruto to the Rescue

Naruto walked out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, drying his hair with a towel that rested around his neck. He looked around the living room a few times when he noticed that Sasuke wasn't there. The blonde walked back into the hall and down to his bed room spying the broken male sitting on the bed, his shirt off as he looked for another one in one of the trash bags of clothes that Naruto had brought back to the apartment yesterday. Naruto watched his body for a moment, a wave of rage surged up his spine and colored his cheeks a scarlet. The scars all over the Ravens body were extensive, some deep and some old and faded, but it all still pissed the Fox off royally.

Naruto had to stop himself from stomping down the hall and over to Sakura's. He stormed into the kitchen and began making a large breakfast for the two of them. He tired his hardest to hide the shaking of his hands when Sasuke came hobbling up the hall and sat at the table, where Naruto had placed many plates of all kinds of food, not just the breakfast kinds.

Sasuke looked at it and smiled at Naruto before he started to fill up his plate, he was good at picking up hidden emotions, but he didn't know what Naruto was mad about. He figured that he would wait and see what was going to happen. He felt safe, even with Naruto so upset. Naruto ate in silence, distracted and hard. Sasuke ate in just as much silence, but he was silent so that he could hear what was going on with the other male in the room.

There was a knock at the door just before Sasuke was about to ask what was making Naruto so mad. He made to get up, but Naruto stopped him by standing up himself. "No," the blonde chocked out, "It might be Sakura, and you're in no condition to fend off that bitch." Sasuke thumped back into his chair and went back to eating, the thought of that woman being there making him shudder. Naruto walked to the door and opened it just a crack, when he saw Hinata there he sighed lightly and said, "What's the password?" Hinata giggled softly and replied, "The password is "Jutsu"." Naruto opened the door for her and smiled quietly. Hinata walked in and then Shikamaru followed a few seconds after.

Shikamaru walked in and sat at the table, leaning back he looked at Sasuke, who looked back at him with a mouth full of eggs. "I see you're eating well, didn't look like you ate a whole lot when you got brought to the hospital." Sasuke looked away and swallowed the lot in his mouth.

"I don't want to talk about it with you – I already told Naruto," hissed the Uchiha in a pained voice.

Shikamaru nodded his head and looked at Hinata, who looked up at Naruto, who was walking toward Sasuke; he patted his shoulder softly and glanced at the others in warning. "We'll talk about this later, guys, what else did you need?"

Shikamaru and Hinata shared a glance before Hinata giggled again, "We thought we should take you two out, you guys always wanna kill each other. I'll take Sasuke and Shikamaru's gonna hang out with you." That was a lot for Hinata to say without stammering, but she hadn't stuttered since she got with the lazy genius. Sasuke looked at the blonde as he waited to see what the male was going to do.

"Yea, all right, this sounds like a good idea," the blonde said

Naruto stood up and made to slip his shoes on and then walked to Sasuke, putting the single sandal on his non-broken leg. Sasuke didn't react, which warranted a look at Hinata from Shikamaru. Once Sasuke was all set and ready to leave the house, Hinata walked with him. Sasuke wasn't sure where they were going, but Hinata took the reins and lead him easily. Sasuke kept his guard up all the way, though, as he was unsure about the female gender.

Naruto looked hard at Shikamaru. "Where are they going?" the blonde asked as he picked up one of the smaller pancakes off his plate. He stuffed it into his mouth as he watched the genius open his mouth. "She's gauging the trauma for Shizune. He's going to walk around some and then go to Tsunade." Shikamaru picked up a piece of bacon and munched on it slowly as Naruto looked at him hard. "Iruka told Tsunade about what you told him and ordered it." Naruto nodded and swallowed his mouthful.

"Well, I need to go get a traditional futon for Sasuke anyway… and pick up a few things that the doc said to have in case I needed them…" Naruto pondered this expedition into the shops quietly as Shikamaru stood up and yawned. "Let's go then," he muttered and started toward the door.

,,,,,

It was strange to spend a day outside. Sasuke was sitting at a café, listening to Hinata tell a story about their childhood with surprising clarity. The Hyuuga was a lot more fun to be around then he might have given her credit for at one point. He was enjoying himself here, listening to her and drinking his tea, then he heard a voice that sounded so much like Sakura's that it made him drop his cup. The tea splattered on the table and ran speedy trails to the edges. Sasuke was frozen like a deer in the headlights. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. He couldn't run, there was no fast place to hide, and the chattering voice was getting closer.

Hinata stood up and slipped over to him. The café hostess looked at them and then quickly diverted the attention of the other customers from them. Hinata nodded in thanks and then turned her full attention to Sasuke. "What's wrong?" she asked in a firm, soothing tone. Sasuke looked at the street as the laughing voice and the person who owned it passed. Her hair was a deep maroon and her eyes were almost silver. She was in no way Sakura, so this made Sasuke relax.

"I thought I heard her." He said in a soft voice. He was shaking like a leaf, still, as memory hands raked over his skin and left memory pain throbbing in their wake.

Hinata paid for their tea and lifted him up. She started to walk hastily toward the hokage tower, all the while keeping an ear out for anything that might make Sasuke lock up. He was far worse than any of them might have imagined.

Naruto and Shikamaru were walking around the village, talking about Sasuke and about Hinata and about anything, really. Shikamaru and Naruto hadn't been close until Sasuke got with Sakura and she began to lock him away and keep him busy. They were surprised at how easy it was to talk to the other. They were walking into the furniture shop when a man came running toward them. "Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage requests you in her office now." Naruto and Shikamaru looked at each other and then took off for the tower.

When they got there, Sasuke was not responding well. He sat in a chair with his head hanging in his hands. He was shaking and looked ready to cry. Naruto approached slowly and placed a hand on his head. "Sasuke, Teme, c'mon, everything's okay now, come back to us," he whispered with soft tones, as if he knew exactly what to say. Sasuke only took a few moments to respond. He threw him arms around Naruto and buried his face in the blonde's stomach.

"She was there, she's following me – she wants to make me crazy enough to come back to her…" he whimpered.

Naruto settled a fond smile on his face and gentle hands on Sasuke's head. "You won't go back to her, you're safe, there is no one in this room who is going to let her hurt you again. Sasuke, you're okay."

Sasuke didn't say anything after that. He was quiet and slowly relaxing against the heat rolling off of the blonde. There was no place in this world that felt more safe then in this room, with these people.. with the blonde whom he was currently clinging to.

Naruto stroked the long hair that had grown so long it almost made Sasuke look like a girl.. a manly girl, but a girl all the same. Naruto chuckled at his thoughts and made Sasuke look up at him, "What's so funny?" Sasuke asked, elicting another light laugh from Naruto.

"It's nothing, Teme, c'mon, I need to get you a futon." Naruto pulled out of his grip and took Sasuke's hands, pulling him from the chair. He supported the whole of the Raven's weight until he could grab his crutches. When Sasuke was ready to leave, Naruto looked back at Tsunade and winked in a way that seemed to say "We'll talk later", then he was gone, helping Sasuke hobble to the service elevator down the hall.


	9. Easy Moments

- Chap 9 The sake bottle shattered into tiny pieces which glittered in their decent to the floor. The thrower of the bottle stood behind her desk, her chair over turned. "I want her dead!" she screamed. Shizune, Tsunade's best friend and lover, walked in hurriedly to see what was going on. Tsunade saw her and calmed almost instantly, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Hinata and Shikamaru saw this as the right time to jutsu themselves out of the room. Hinata seemed oddly stoic through the whole endeavor. As if she was plotting. - Naruto paid the delivery men after they had set up Sasuke's futon in Naruto's room. Naruto had managed to get him just before the men arrived and cleared a space right under the window for the bed. The model that Sasuke had selected had a wooden frame to it, which raised it off of the ground by a foot. It was slender and tucked nicely into the space made or it. It was directly across the room from Naruto's bed, which made Sasuke feel at ease because he could see the whole room from his bed, and could always be close to Naruto if he needed him. "Have a great day!" the blonde called out the door as the men left. Then they were down the hall a way, he closed the door and smiled at Sasuke, who was sitting on the couch, a large array of colored bags all around him. Things that Naruto bought for Sasuke, things that he had showed an interest in, but seemed too shy to ask for. Sasuke rummaged around in one of the bags until he found the box of markers that he had picked up and looked at while he though Naruto wasn't looking. The expanse of vibrant colors that filled the box made him want to draw, and he had lost that interest long ago, when his father had found his hidden passion and burned all of his markers and pencils. Naruto had not only picked up on the markers, but scooted ahead with that hint and bought three separate sketch books, an array of water colors and colored pencils. The whole expanse was now spread out before the raven and it made his mouth practically water. Naruto sat on the floor in front of Sasuke and smiled at the look in his eyes. "You've got to have something to do while you're resting," the blonde said and then laughed lightly. Sasuke glanced at him and nodded. He had so many ideas rushing through his head, but his hands itched to place pencil to paper so urgently that he couldn't settle on one idea to commit to paper. He picked up the largest book and the pack of pre-sharpened colored pencils and tucked himself up into the back of the couch. Naruto watched him and was glad that he was eager to do something. Sasuke seemed shy and reserved, scared of everything around him. Except himself. Sasuke was on a level of comfort with the blonde that he didn't have with anyone else. That made Naruto sad, but pleased at the same time. They had been alike as children, and close to each others hearts. They fought each others demons with pointy sticks and warms arms to hide in. Naruto felt his eyes get hot as he remembered all of those times when Sasuke had saved him, and not the honor was Naruto's. Naruto hadn't heard the knock on the door until Sasuke called that he was coming. Naruto jumped up and was at the broken man's side in an instant. "Wait, let me get it, we don't know who it is yet..." Naruto warned. Sasuke nodded his head and hobbled back to the couch. He picked up his book and went back to drawing with the bright colors. Naruto walked up to the door and opened it just a crack. It was Kakashi, but there seemed to be something wrong with him. Naruto glared at him pointedly and asked, "How's the mother?" Kakashi seemed taken aback. He squinted at him and then sighed, knowing the answer was something totally unrelated. "Terrible, but her jutsu is improving." he said, working the password into a casual answer. Naruto opened the door wider for the man to enter. Iruka, who was never, ever too far away, entered after him, carrying the rest of what Naruto just noticed that Kakashi was carrying. "We brought dinner!" Iruka sang in a happy voice. He settled the paper bags gently on the table and then Naruto smelled it. "Ichiraku's!" The blonde screamed and dove for his seat at the table. Sasuke looked up and shuddered. There was so much good food in the world, and this had to be brought over. Free food was free food, so he wouldn't complain out loud, but he would make the dobe buy more food tomorrow. Sasuke looked up at Kakashi and looked him over once, twice. There was something odd about him... then Sasuke noticed that slight bulge in his pants. He balked and turned his head back to his work, finishing up one little detail before he gently closed the book and got up, meeting them at the table. Iruka was taking the bowls out of the bags and ahnding them out. Sasuke noticed that he did not get a bowl, but Naruto got three. He looked up at Iruka, who took one of the bags that Kakashi had carried in and settled it in front of him. "I didn't think you would like eating ramen, so I brought you something else." Sasuke smiled meekly, and felt his heart beat a little faster in admiration. They ate and laughed and told stories that Sasuke felt left out of. During the time that they all were living their lives, Sasuke was hating his. He had been a coward and too scared of Her. He had even been too scared to end his life. Sasuke listened to all of them as he ate quietly, he kept his words and thoughts to himself, only chuckling mirthlessly as he heard the others laugh, making them think he was really taking part. Kakashi whisked Iruka and himself away as soon as dinner was over and the table cleared. He had other things on his mind that he wanted to talk to the teacher about... in a locked room. Naruto waved at them as they left and went to take a shower. Sasuke settled himself back in the couch and picked up his book. He opened to another page and gathered new colors to fill this one. He began to etch his horrors into life, right there on the paper. 


End file.
